Marine!
by Deven Shire
Summary: Ours to fight and die, not to ask why or where. The first and last line of defense, the criminals, the downtrodden; millions of marines were committed to battle by the Dominion and the Confederacy before them. This is the story of one of them.
1. Chapter 1

**0535hrs, Terran controlled space, unspecified planetary system**

Corporal John Hide squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, the restraining bar and belts pinning him against the hard surface. It was getting unbearably hot in the drop ship as it descended through the planet's atmosphere, but John knew the heat would past in an instance. He had dropped into combat hundreds of times but still found it impossible to get used to.

"ETA 2 minutes, prepare to dismount" blared the ship's pilot through the intercom.

John looked around at his squad mates. Some fiddled with their rifles, others just sat motionlessly. Going into combat was another thing he could never get used to, especially the final few minutes before arrival. When the first round was fired from his C-14 Impaler Gauss rifle however, it all became rather straight forward.

Today's mission was something John had done a few times before in his 2 years as a Dominion marine. Shore up the defences of a Terran fortification, hold the position until further reinforcements arrived, prepare the ground for a counter attack, and charge forward at the order of the commander. It all sounded complicated and drawn out in theory, but for John, he knew his personal job scope very well. Aim, fire, reload. Rinse and repeat.

"ETA 1 minute"

The planet they were landing on, of which the name was omitted from the briefing was primarily flat terrain dotted by rolling hills. John never knew the names of the planets or system he had fought on as it was deemed unnecessary for a marine to know. His to fight and die, not to ask why or where.

What he did know was that this planet was under attack from the Zerg and the fighting was entering its 6th hour. He also knew from experience that if any Zerg infestation was not eradicated within 12 standard hours of first contact, the chance of a Terran victory was diminished by half every subsequent hour. The commander in charge of this battlefield had 6 hours to win this battle, or John hoped he would be one of the lucky ones to be pulled out during the evacuation. He had been lucky for 2 years, and that was deemed by many as being lucky beyond all possibilities. He hoped lady luck would not desert him today.

"ETA 10 seconds, lock and load! Good luck boys."

The restraining bars lifted and the belts shot back into the wall sockets. John lifted his rifle and stood up, grabbing the support handles mounted on the drop ship's ceiling.

"Everybody UP!" He shouted and the 11 other marines stood in unison.

He was the designated squad leader for this mission. The original squad commander, Sergeant Manny, had bought it on their last mission, dying under the claws of 2 Zerglings. John was due for promotion to Sergeant as it was, but due to inefficient administration, they deployed before he got the order.  
The drop ship vibrated and rocked as the thrusters compensated for the combined downward push and pull of machine and gravity. Then it was relatively peaceful for a second or 2 as the pilot stabilised the ship.

"You are GO for deployment" the pilot roared.

The massive door located at the back of the drop ship eased outwards with a thud as it hit the earth. John sprang out, moving forward to allow the rest of his squad space to dismount. The sounds of battle was in the air, the most prominent being a battery of siege tanks firing its Arclite Shock Cannons. Other drop ships were spewing out marines from his battalion, the 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion, and the marines were running to form up into their companies and platoons. The symbol of the 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion; a marine driving his boot through a Hydralisk gleamed on the right shoulder armour of every marine. They had deployed at a Dominion base code named Omega Base.

"HIDE! Status report!"

John turned to see 1st Sergeant Stanley Durling, his platoon sergeant moving towards him.

Both marines knew each other well, since way back when Lance Corporal Hide and Corporal Durling first fought together in the same squad more than a year ago. They had been in the same platoon ever since and were the only 2 surviving members from that era. An 'era' to a Terran marine was usually 6 months, anything more was sheer luck. 1st Sergeant Stanley "Sarge" Durling had been in the Corp for 3 years, and was something of a living legend. His unimaginative nick name was another testament to his ferocity, as nobody else could lay claim to that usually common nick name.

"Sarge, 3rd squad is ready and accounted for" John said over the platoon 3 transmission channel.

"Alright keep your boys on their toes; we're moving out to reinforce the right flank of the line. The lieutenant wants weapons and ammunitions only. Drop everything else."

"3rd squad you heard the man, drop your supplies, check your weapons and let's MOVE!"

Like all marine deployments, the initial minutes were filled with gung-ho bravado as the intact battalion of 600 marines prepared to move out. John knew that in 30 minutes, it would be chaos and confusion, and they may all be dead or dying on a planet which name they didn't even know.

The squad checked their weapons for the umpteenth time since leaving the Battlecruiser, and moved out in a straight file towards their assigned zone, which was highlighted on each marine's HUD. The marines marched quickly behind the second line of defence, which was still being constructed by numerous Space Construction Vehicles. The hardy SCVs scampered around, wielding together bunkers and missile turret emplacements. This would be where the army would fall back to should the first position fall. Marching along here was perhaps the safest the marines would feel for the next few hours, as hundreds of Siege tanks and other Dominion weapons of war, not to mention the thousands of infantry worked to keep the rampaging Zerg at bay.

The marines ahead streamed off to the left as they reached their designated position but platoon 3 continued marching. Platoon 3 of Epsilon Company, 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion was to be deployed at the extreme right of the mile long line. As he cleared the last building, John saw the battlefield for the first time.

It was a featureless land, with rolling hills in the distance. Clouds obscured the rising sun. As far as the eye could see, pockets of ferocious creatures were moving towards the Terran line. Zerg. Despite the neuro-conditioning and light stim drugs John had received before deployment, a primal instinct in him stirred. It felt right to run. It felt right to leave this place. Training kicked in a second later and he moved towards the defensive line purposefully, his squad trailing behind him.

A row of siege tanks - John counted 8, was deployed at the rear of his assigned position. In front of the Siege Tanks, were a row of haphazardly positioned bunkers, some of them lightly damaged. Whoever had ordered the bunkers constructed obviously didn't have plenty of time to plan or position the buildings.

Standing by one of the bunkers was Lieutenant Harold Butterfield, platoon 3s commanding officer.  
Harold Butterfield had been platoon 3s officer commanding for a few months now. He did a fair job as far as John was concerned but officers would always be officers, different from the men, living in their own world. They would never know what the men experienced, no matter how hard they tried. He only hoped his officer was competent, but in his 2 years he had had more incompetent officers leading from the back rather than competent ones.

"Right. Gentlemen, deploy yourselves in the trench in front of the bunkers. This shall be your position until further orders. First Sergeant Durling on me, the rest of you move out!" The Lieutenant said curtly.  
A number of affirmatives were heard over the comm. channel and John moved into the trench with his squad. It must have rained recently because the floor of the trench was filled ankle deep with muddy water. What a place to die, thought John.

The bunkers were filled with marines from other battalions, but from which battalions John did not know. That information too, was deemed unnecessary for John and his like to know.  
"Hey Hidey, you reckon we'll be here long? I don't want my boots to rust, man!"

That was Lance Corporal Adrian Banayoun, 3rd squad's unofficial 2IC since the death of Sergeant Manny. John heard sniggers and vulgar remarks from the rest of the squad as they deployed.  
"Shut your gap Ben, and watch the line! I want you on the extreme left, and make the new guys stand next to you. They're your responsibility today." John said. He received a green acknowledgement wink on his squad HUD.

Adrian Benayoun was a 1 year soldier, and had served with John since he joined up. Nobody knew why somebody else was in the Dominion Marine Corp, and nobody really cared. John's memory from 2 years ago was a blur, but he knew from his own unclassified personal records that he was here because of "crimes against the state" There were no angels in the Dominion Marine Corp.

John positioned his rifle atop the trench and looked out into no-man's land. There was a pile of Zerg bodies about 5 metres in front of him, but for now this section of the line seemed clear. The Zerg attacked ferociously and with great intelligence. The attacks were thin for a reason, and John suspected they were testing the Terran resolve, probing the line for weaknesses. Once that weakness was found, the Zerg would roll in their masses.

On the other side of the planet another fearsome battle was raging, but these things were outside of John's comprehension and he knew better than to think about it.

On his HUD, John saw 1st Sergeant Durling moving towards him. He turned in anticipation. Durling opened up a private comms. channel with him.

"Hide, your guys settled down good?"

"Just great Sarge, some coffee and fried eggs would make this beautiful morning just perfect!" John replied

"I'll see what I can ruffle up." Replied the Sergeant and they both shared a quick laugh. Both men were best friends as far as friendship came in the Corp. They had never gotten down to addressing each other by their first names though.

The sergeant continued, "I just spoke with the El Tee, today looks hopeful. The commander for this battle comes with a good reputation, he'll keep us safe."

"I do hope so Sarge, my wife called and said she wants me home for dinner by 1800hrs" John replied.  
Throughout history, in every army, rumours like these spread during wars. "The commanding officer is competent, have no fear" or "I heard we're moving off the line to be replaced tomorrow". In his case, John had no reason to not believe it.

"Yeah. Just keep yourself safe ok. I'll be on your right flank with 1st squad." The 1st Sergeant said as he moved off to join his men.

John's gaze on Durling's imposing figure was interrupted by a burst of Gauss fire from the bunker directly above him.

The comm. Channels crackled to life. Shouts and curses came through fast and thick. "INCOMING!", "WE'VE GOT COMPANY", and "HERE WE GO" blasted over the channels.

A kilometre away, some shapes were moving towards platoon 3s position. They were still too far away to be specifically identified but they were definitely Zerg. John gave his rifle one last check, before thumbing off the safety and taking aim.

"Hold your fire until I say so, and keep the bloody unnecessary chatter off the channels" he shouted to his squad.

800 metres.

The huge hulking form of an Ultralisk came into view. The elephantine creature lumbered behind hundreds of Zerglings, which looked miniature in the distance. A smattering of Hydralisks could be seen forming on the flanks of the unruly hoard as they thundered their way ever closer towards the Terrans.  
A bloody Ultralisk, first thing in the morning. Just wonderful. John thought as he jammed his foot firmly into the ground.

600 metres.

The 120mm Mjolnir Shock Cannons from the Siege Tanks fired their first salvo, the rounds ripping voids in the air as they travelled faster than the speed of sound towards the incoming Zerg. In the distance, the rounds smashed into the ground and blossomed into pretty flowers of dirt, shrapnel and gore. Still the Zerg came.

400 metres.

"Hold your fire. HOLD YOUR FIRE." John roared to his squad. It dawned to him that shouting those words were for his own benefit as well as for his squad's. That same primal instinct that had urged him to flee minutes ago was now telling him to depress the trigger and be done with this threat to his life. The siege tanks fired their 2nd volley. The marines in the bunkers above platoon 2 commenced fire.

200 metres.

"FIRE! LET THEM HAVE IT!" screamed John as he unleashed a stream of 8mm U-238 shells from his rifle.  
The familiar report of his C-14 rifle and the comforting recoil from the rifle felt just like home. All the anxiety eased out of his system with the discharging of the rounds. John's training kicked in and he fired in 2 second bursts, unleashing 60 8mm rounds each time. With the help of the CMC 400's onboard targeting system, his aim was accurate to the centimetre. The Zerg would die today.

100 metres.

The Siege tanks fired their 3rd and final volley before deploying into their more mobile form, capable of firing twin 80mm with greater accuracy. It would be foolish to fire the inaccurate 120mm cannon at this distance and risk friendly fire. Even the Dominion was not that crazy, yet.

All across the section of line, 200 C-14 rifles blasted a wall of lead into the incoming horde, mauling the Zerglings as they tried to inch forward. The Hydralisks were better evolved to take punishment but they too withered before the unyielding stream of fire. One of two of them reached the side of the trench but collapsed into pulp before they could do any damage.

Only the Ultralisk kept coming. It had been spared the lion's share of punishment which was dished out to the lesser denizens. For some reason, nobody had ordered concentrated fire on the Ultralisk and its hulking form was 100 metres away from the trench. 3 of the siege tanks fired at the Ultralisk with no visible effect.

In 3 seconds, the monster had covered the remaining distance and crashed into a section of the trench to the left of 3rd squad's position, gorging and ripping with twin blades that resembled giant butcher knives. Screams filled the comm channels.

"SHOOT THAT PIECE OF SHIT!" Roared John to his squad. It was too late and he knew it, there would be casualties. 3rd squad fired nonetheless and the fire intensified a split second later as every single Terran gun in the area trained on the hulking form. The fire lasted a second before the Ultralisk rolled over on itself and exploded, spewing blood and chunks of flesh all over the trench and bunkers.  
John turned towards the direction of the battlefield but there was nothing left to shoot, the wall of Zerg was stacked higher than before. He had survived the first encounter of the day.

"Status report! Talk to me dammit!" That was lieutenant Butterfield. Why the lieutenant had been silent all through the battle was lost to John.

The comms. Channel flooded with chatter but soon wittered down to the squad commander's voices. 3 marines were dead and another 2 were injured. They were all from 2nd squad, under Sergeant Gorst.  
"Get the casualties out of the trench, keep watching the line!" said the lieutenant.

Green acknowledgement lights winked as Platoon 3 trained their sights onto no-man's land again.  
Unknown to the defenders, a storm was brewing behind the mountain ridges. The Zerg Overlords had done enough probing and were ready to make the final push with the forces under their control. Numerous weak spots in the Terran defence line had been exposed, and one of these was the extreme right flank of the line. The Overlords had received strong psonic signals from the Cerebrates to move fast as they did not have much time. The Terran's grip on the planet was getting stronger by the minute as reinforcements streamed down onto the surface. Other battles raging across the planet were not going in the Zerg's favour.

Heeding the call of the Overlords, thousands of Zerg minions rallied themselves behind the cover of the hills, ready to slaughter the enemies of the swarm or die trying. 


	2. Chapter 2

**0702hrs Planet Surface, unspecified planet** **  
**  
The past 15 minutes had been quiet for Platoon 3, Epsilon Company, 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion, the Zerg were still coming in sporadic waves but they were hitting other areas of the line.

"3rd Squad, how is everybody feeling? Ready to frag some more Zerg!?" John asked. He knew he would never get an honest answer but always asked anyway. The drugs administered on Dominion Marines before any combat mission made for relatively fearless men.

Of the 11 other marines in the squad, 5 of them had been alive long enough that John knew their names. For 3 of the marines who had come in as replacements, today was their baptism of fire.  
PFC Jerry Tohan was the first to reply, "Feeling good and ready to SHOOT some Zerg, CORPORAL!"  
PFC Tohan was a 6 month marine who always fought like a man possessed. It was common knowledge in the squad that he liked more than anybody to Stim himself up, and was fast heading towards the slippery slope of addiction. Marines who were addicted to Stim Pack Enhancements were usually discharged from service and made to disappear from all records as they were deemed a danger to their comrades. Their true fate was always unknown.

PVTs Roger Pollack and Matthias Longhorn replied with green acknowledgement lights. The 2 had joined the Corp together 4 months ago and were inseparable. They were quiet individuals, utterly reliable but not outstanding. Right now, their helmet hatches were open as they chain smoked cigarettes.

"Corporal when the hell 'we gonna get anything to eat? I'm gonna starve to death before the Zerg get here, man!" said PVT Christy "Lard" Lindon.

PVT Lindon had been in the Corp for 3 months, and had earned his nickname due to the rolls of fat on his body. His massive frame could barely fit into standard CMC-400 armour, but he did his job well and could move relatively fast for his size. He was the squad's joker, so his tendency for gluttony was overlooked.

"Shut up Lard, maybe we should just send you to fight the Zerg. You'll feed the whole hive for a month!" Lance Corporal Benayoun said.

There was laughter over the channel and John felt a warm feeling. These men were all the family he had, but he refrained from getting too close to any of them. The life of a marine was fragile, and he could lose his whole 'family' in the next 5 minutes.

The 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion was not an 'elite' force. They were built more along the lines of a workhorse battalion, sent in to plug up gaps or make up the numbers during an assault. There were no volunteer signups for the battalion and high command had not bothered to integrate Firebats or Medics into the roster. Sometimes John wondered if they were in the battalion as a death sentence of sorts.

Across the horizon, faint shrieks drew everybody's attention back to no-man's land. Small flying shapes were coming towards the defensive position, growing progressively larger till it was obvious they were Mutalisks, the Zerg's mainstay air unit. The number of Mutalisks seemed to grow exponentially as the seconds ticked by, and soon there were hundreds of them, and the horrifying screaming rose to a crescendo.

"Aim for maximum range, don't shoot the bastards in the front!" John said over the comm. channel  
He knew the missile turrets would automatically blast the first few attackers to kingdom come, and the marines didn't need to waste ammunition on those.

A sudden whoosh of hot air and the loud roar of engines made everybody look up. The Dominion's response, in the form of 3 squadrons of Wraiths had arrived. Across the Terran line, cheers and whoops could be heard.

The CF/A-17G Wraith fighters blasted through the sky above, burning trials of compressed Vespene gas behind them. It was a well known fact that Wraith pilots were an extravagant lot, and they proved it here over the battlefield, by flying in perfect formation and doing aerial acrobatics to the delight of the watching ground forces.

The first of the Wraith formations engaged the Mutalisks in the middle of no-man's land, firing their Gemini Missiles for ultimate effect. The sky erupted into fire and explosions, as chunks of Zerg flesh hurtled to ground. A few of the Wraiths were destroyed in the first engagement, crashing to the ground and exploding. None of the pilots had ejected. It was all rather amusing for the Marines, as they cheered on the Wraiths in a gruesome show that did not yet involve them.

As they watched, John felt a subtle vibration of the earth. To the uninitiated, the vibrations felt like a minor earth quake but John knew better through his experience. Calmly, he checked his spare ammunition magazines and fed a new clip into his rifle. Startled marines looked at each other and John could sense the nervousness in the air.

Across no-man's land, a carpet of brown flowed down the side of the hills. It looked like a landslide from where they were standing.

"WE'VE GOT INCOMING!"Lieutenant Butterfield shouted over the platoon channel. "Shoot to kill and conserve your ammunition, that's a shit load of Zerg!"

Judging by the previous encounter, first contact with this new threat would happen in 30 seconds. The moment of judgement was here.

The thundering grew louder and the earth shook. It sounded like rolling thunder without the lightning aftermath.

The individual Zerg became visible in the distance, their ferocious maws snapping in the air, hungry for the kill. The same instinct kicked in again, urging John to turn and run for his life, but he kept himself calm. He had faced situations like this a few times before and had always come out alive.  
A Private standing next to Lance Corporal Benayoun took a step backwards and planted his hands against the back of the trench wall.

"I can't do this man; I gotta get out of here..."

The name next to his small wireframe figure on John's HUD showed 'PVT BONHAM', one of the new guys.

"PRIVATE, STAND YOUR GROUND." John shouted, "Ain't nobody gonna die today! Stick with your squad and you'll all be ok!" He didn't believe a word of what he had just said, but there wasn't anything else to say.

Lance Corporal Benayoun struck the Private hard on the back of his helmet and pushed him back to the forward wall. They had to function as a cell if they were to have any hope of survival.

The Siege Tanks behind the bunkers roared to life, firing the first volley into the mass of Zerg. They could not miss. All across the line, tanks spewed out death onto the oncoming Zerg swarm. John stared through the targeting sight of the C-14 rifle, and chose his first target, a Hydralisk that had escaped the 120mm shell bursts. The monster seemed to be staring right back at John, as it opened its mouth to reveal a sadistic grin.

The second salvo from the siege tanks smashed huge holes in the Zerg mass, but the holes were quickly covered by more Zerg.

John fired. The rest of his squad and the marines in the bunkers behind let loose their 8mm rounds at the same instance. The leading Zerg shuddered and fell to the hail of rounds that smashed into their carapace, maiming some, destroying others. Still they came.

The Hydralisk John had his sights on was still advancing, and John laid his rounds squarely into the torso of the creature. It was a small miracle that this particular Hydralisk had survived 2 salvos of Siege Tank bombardments. Maybe it was as lucky as he was, John thought. Before John could have fired more than 60 rounds into the Hydralisk, the 3rd salvo from the Siege Tanks exploded in the direct vicinity of the monster, shredding the Hydralisk into millions of tiny sinews and muscles. Perhaps it wasn't that lucky after all. John grinned to himself grimly as he changed targets, this time a Zergling getting uncomfortably close to the trench.

All across the line, the Dominion defenders fired. The Zerg attack was stalled 50 metres away from the trench and bunkers, and the few Zerglings that made it through were quickly taken down by concentrated fire. This moment in battle would usually give the defenders a feeling that they may yet live to fight again. The reality couldn't be further than that. John knew that the first few minutes of battle would always lean towards a Terran victory, but as the smaller Zerg were taken down, bigger ones would step in to take their place, and those would make a beeline straight for the weak points identified by the Overlords. They would relentless press home their attack till they had created a gap in the defence, before swarming through and flanking the main line of resistance, spreading out from behind the defences. If that happened, the defenders would be hard pressed not to give up their positions.

John slammed home another clip and heard the familiar whine as the C-14's internal loading mechanism chambered the round. He depressed the trigger. Even through the armour and thermal resistant material, John could feel the rising temperature of the gun.

Suddenly, John felt himself being nudged to the right and snapped his head left to judge the intrusion. It was a marine, this one with the 2nd Korhal Infantry Battalion insignia on their shoulder armour.  
The marine steadied himself on the trench wall, and started firing. John took a second to look down the trench, and saw that the same thing was happening all along his section of the line. So they were getting reinforced without asking for it. That was good news. It proved that the Dominion really did not want to lose this planet to the Zerg which ultimately meant he and his men had a greater chance of survival.

"Corporal Hide!"

John stepped back from the trench wall and looked up at the marine standing atop the trench. It was the Lieutenant.

"Corporal, check your HUD! See that highlighted hill?"

John checked. True enough, a small rise to the right of no-man's land, 500 metres away, was highlighted with the marker "Objective Alpha".

"Yes Sir, I see it Sir!"

"Take your squad and advance to that hill. Deploy a defensive perimeter on the hill and wait for reinforcements. The Commander wants that hill taken; you can expect a couple of SCVs and Siege Tanks to join you within a minute of your arrival."

Lieutenant Butterfield stared out into no-man's land for a second before continuing.

"The rest of the platoon will provide covering fire as you advance. Your squad is authorised to administer Stim Packs at your discretion."

"Roger that Sir, moving out now!" John replied, and immediately switched to his Squad comm. Channel.

"Boys listen up; we're to advance to that small rise highlighted on your HUDs. Form up on me now. MOVE!"

3rd Squad stepped back from the trench wall in unison, giving more space to the 2nd Korhal Infantry Battalion marines who immediately filled up the vacated space.

They were around John in an instance, crammed shoulder to shoulder in the small space.  
"We're gonna move fast and not stop. The rest of the platoon will provide covering fire but I'm not looking forward to spending more than 30 seconds surrounded by Zerg."  
He received green acknowledgement winks.

"At my command, you will administer Stim Packs and follow me over the trench. Is that clear Marines?"  
"YES CORPORAL!"

He also heard a "HELL YEA!" from PFC Tohan who was obviously relishing the Stim Pack's effects.  
John moved to the edge of the trench, to a couple of crude steps cut into the mud. Taking a deep breath, he pushed a concealed button situated at his neck. A soft hiss emitted from the neck armour couplings as a needle built into his CMC 400 suit plunged into his neck and shot its contents directly into the major artery. John immediately felt the familiar wave of intense vertigo and strange euphoria. His eyes closed involuntarily and he let out an audible sigh. The initial effects faded in a split second and he looked around. Time had slowed down to a crawl and everything seemed to be moving slowly. He felt his muscles tensing up and felt a strange primal need to kill something.

"LET'S GO! LET'S GO! KEEP MOVING AND DON'T STOP!" John roared

He leapt up the steps in 2 bounds and started running towards the objective, his stimulant charged body and power armour allowing him to reach superhuman speeds. Behind him, the pumped up 3rd squad followed closely, running straight towards the Zerg advance.

1st Sergeant Durling watched as his friend leapt from the relative safety of the trench into no-man's land and shouted into the platoon comm channel while taking aim at a Zergling rushing up towards John's sprinting frame.

"COVERING FIRE NOW! Keep those Zerg at bay! 3rd Squad is depending on us!"

As John ran towards the advancing Zerg, he saw the first layer of denizens in front of him peeling away to the onslaught of platoon 3's cover fire. To fire his own rifle would mean slowing himself down and he wanted to keep from doing that until the last possible moment. If he could get his squad up the rise, they all had a better chance of survival as the Siege Tanks would undoubtedly rain down death around the hill to protect them.

John suspected that in the bigger scheme of things, he and his squad had been ordered to 'prepare the ground' for the Dominion counter attack. If the hill could be taken and held with Siege Tanks and bunkers, the stress to the main line of defence would ease and a counter attack could begin. John's conditioned mind never once contemplated why his squad was the unlucky squad to be given this mission out of the hundreds of squads available to choose from. Or why the commander had never ordered the hill to be taken and held in the first place. His to fight and die, not to ask why or where. 


	3. Chapter 3

**0755hrs Planet Surface, unspecified planet**

The objective lay 200 metres ahead. 3rd squad had covered the previous 300 metres in 12 seconds, carried forward on their powered armour and Stim Packs. Here, the Zerg swarm was thick, and they had noticed this vile Terran intrusion.

The covering fire from the rest of platoon 3 was thick and kept the Zerg at bay, but John knew that would change in another few seconds. They were right in the middle of the swamp now. A few C-14 rifles chattered behind John and his comm. Channels crackled.

"There's too many of them!" A voice called out.

"Keep moving, we've gotta reach the hill! Don't stop!" John replied.

John knew if they stopped to fight, they would be surrounded and massacred. They had to move. The Siege Tanks had stopped firing at 3rd Squads vicinity to avoid friendly damage.

A scream stopped John in his tracks and he turned. 2 marines had stopped running and were unloading their rounds into the Zerg, which were starting to surround them. With the enhancing stimulants coursing through their veins, the 2 marines were depressing their rifle triggers, not bothering to fire in accurate bursts. Their enhanced strength allowed them to control the huge rifle recoil.

"Benayoun, keep the squad moving!" John roared through the comm. channel.

As he gave the order he trained his rifle on the Zerg mass and fired. The Zerg looked threateningly close to engulfing the 2 marines. A hail of acid spines hit the back of one of the marines, burning right through the CMC armour. The searing acid caused the marine to let out a scream of pain and he stopped firing for a split second. That was enough for the Zerg. Zerglings crashed into the other marine, causing him to lose his balance. The rifle fire from the 2 besieged men continued for another second before stopping completely.

John turned and ran. He noticed the rest of his squad already charging up the natural ramp of the hill, moving backwards and laying down fire as they moved. The 2 marines had bought the squad time by stopping to fight.

As John sprinted for the ramp, the marines already on the rise picked out targets around him, effectively paving a path. In 2 seconds, John had reached the ramp and had bounded up the hill in an instance. He turned and sprayed at the Zerg trying to clamber up. The rest of the squad did the same, causing a small pile of Zerg bodies to form at the foot of the rise.

"Lieutenant, we're in position!" John shouted over the comm.

"Roger that Corporal, hang tight to receive the Siege Tanks." The Lieutenant replied.

John checked his HUD to see the 2 blackened out wireframe images of the marines who had just died. They were PVT Bonham and PVT Hudson, both new replacements. At least they died for something, John thought.

Surging around the hill, the Zerg horde continued to make for the main Terran line. Perhaps they considered a group of marines to be an insufficient threat to their overall objective. Even so, numerous Zerg continued to assault the ramp, trying to get at John's squad.

From his position, John could see the Dominion defences from the Zerg's perspective for the first time. Thousands of yellow blossoms indicating individual rifle fire covered the spectrum of the defence line, while sporadic explosions from behind the bunkers signified the Siege Tanks. It was a devastating sight and in other circumstances, John would have shed a tear at such an awesome display of firepower.  
Above him, the remnants of the 3 Wraiths squadrons limped back. So much for the vaunted air jockeys of the Dominion fleet, thought John.

From the Terran line, he spotted 6 Siege Tanks rumbling across a make shift metal platform laid across the trench for that purpose. They were followed closely by 4 SCVs, obviously trying to stay as close as possible to their protectors. The Siege Tanks rolled over the dead bodies of the Zerg and made for 3rd squads position. Screening the Siege tanks from the oncoming assault were a few Firebats, who created a wall of flame as they marched next to the tanks.

"Hidey, I'm almost out of ammo! If those tanks don't get here quick we'll be mince meat!" Lance Corporal Benayoun shouted while firing at an overzealous Zergling trying to climb up the hill from the steep side.  
John checked his own ammunition counter and counted his spare magazines. He had about 400 rounds left, and then he would be dry. The oncoming Zerg wave trying to make their way up the ram was getting closer.

A Hydralisk scrambled over the wall of dead Zerg under the hail of fire and with its dying strength, drove one of its razor sharp arms into the chest armour of a marine. The blade drove right through the armour and the marine screamed in pain, blood gushing out of the wound and spraying through the gap in the armour as the Hydralisk fell to the ground. 2 Zerglings immediately leapt over the dead Hydralisk and were only stopped by accurate fire from PVT Pollack and PVT Longhorn.

John looked at the incoming tanks and estimated they would be with them in about 1 minute. The effects of the Stim Packs were almost gone and he did not want to risk ordering a second shot. The official instructions limited the maximum amount of Stim Pack usage to 3 times in any given situation, after which a soldier had to seek medical attention. The price to pay for the short period of super human abilities was weakened muscles and dimmed senses, both grave enemies to any soldier.  
"Everybody pull back! Move further up the hill and concentrate your fire on the ram!" John shouted over the comms.

"Lieutenant! We need some aid here or we're not gonna last till the tanks arrive. Requesting artillery bombardment onto the ram Sir!"

He waited for the reply which came in a second.

"Negative Corporal, the Siege Tanks are tied up with other targets, you have to hold your position!"  
John angrily slammed his last clip into the rifle and sprayed into the Zerg mass at the foot of the ram. A few Zerglings had made it up the ram and lay dying at the feet of the marines. John decided to order a second administering of Stim Packs in another 30 seconds.

"I...I'm out! Anybody got s...s...spare clips?" yelled PFC Tohan. There was an edge to his voice and John suspected he had taken a second Stim Pack shot without permission.  
"Here take mine," yelled Lard as he tossed Tohan a magazine, "that's my last clip so you better make it count pot head!"

PFC Tohan slammed the magazine home and stepped ahead of his comrades, spraying indiscriminately into the oncoming Zerg. The blood and gore from the dead Zerg was making the ground a slippery mess. Talk about workplace hazards, thought John.

It was getting hopeless. The Zerg were coming up the ramp and John knew they wouldn't be able to hold the ridge for long.

"Squad administer Stim Packs! Let them have it!" He yelled.

The second shot of stimulants evoked extreme vertigo which very nearly caused John to pass out. The feeling of Euphoria was gone and he felt lighter headed. Nonetheless, the familiar red mist descended over him and he felt invincible.

The rest of his squad must have been feeling the same as the rate of fire increased and the marines moved aggressively towards the oncoming Zerglings without being ordered to do so. Through his clouded vision, John could see the tanks and Firebats blasting their way through the final 50 metres to the ramp.

Then he heard the dreaded *click* from his rifle. He was out of ammunition. Throwing down his rifle, he reached for his thigh hoister and pulled out a Flak pistol. By Dominion directive, all soldiers on the field were to be equipped with a standard sidearm, but in reality, only the NCOs and officers got them. In the 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion, most NCOs didn't even get their sidearm due to the inefficient administration, but 1st Sergeant Durling had cajoled the Company's Quartermaster to sign one out for John.

Without taking aim, John fired wildly into the ever nearing Zerg swamp. The high explosive shells from the Flak pistol ripped a leaping Zergling into shreds before it even landed. Blood and gore splattered over Johns visor but he continued firing. He was certain all his rounds would hit home; he didn't even need to aim. They were all around him.

Screams could be heard over the squad's comm channel and John knew more of his squad would not make it to safety today.

Suddenly, a loud whoosh accompanied by unbearable heat washed over John and he instinctively crouched down. Expecting to die in the next few moments, John closed his eyes. It felt strange not to have anything to say during his final few moments, no prayer or dedication to a higher being.  
Seconds passed. John opened his eyes. Rising above him was a huge humanoid figure emitting 2 streams of bright blue fire from his hands. The area around John was in flames and he could see strange figures burning in the blue inferno. The screams and screeches around him were horrible. The sight and sounds evoked a distant memory from his childhood, when he was told of this mythical place called Hell, where evil would burn for eternity. Perhaps he was in Hell.

A grainy voice over his intercom jolted him to the present,

"Get up soldier!"

He looked up and as let his eyes focus on the figure in front of him. The huge form was garbed in red armour and John recognised him as a Firebat. So the reinforcements had reached them after all. Standing up, he looked around him and saw the Siege Tanks deploying in a rough semi-circle in the middle of the clearing. More Firebats were creating an impregnable wall of flame across the ramp. He felt a feeling of elation that died almost immediately. He had survived, but something inside him felt a disappointment that that had happened.

After taking a second to compose himself, John looked round for his squad. Like him, all of them were recovering from the battle and were still trying to find their feet.

"3rd squad report in! This is Corporal Hide." John felt a strange need to identify himself, as if to confirm that he was still alive.

He checked the command HUD, and found that 3 new wireframe figures were blackened out. They were PVTs Ashworth and Longhorn as well as PFC Tohan.

"This is Lance Corporal Benayoun, I'm still here Corporal." The voice sounded sluggish over the intercom.

"Private Pollack reporting in." The voice was monotonous and without life. John wondered how he would react to his buddy's death.

"Lard here, I've got Finns and Ramsay right next to me, they've been wounded Corporal."

John turned to look at PVT Lindon and true enough, 2 marines were on the ground next to him. One of them had his helmet visor smashed in and his face was an unrecognisable pulp. The marine's legs were kicking out uncontrollably. Private Ramsay would not make it.

The other marine, Private Finns, was sitting upright and clutching onto his right arm. The huge shoulder armour on the marine's right was severed and sparks were dancing around the connecting metal fibres and electronics. This one would most probably lose his right arm, but he would live.

Private Minado reported in next, with a simple, "I'm Okay Corporal."

The last marine to respond was Private Brevet, who simply gave his acknowledgment in the form a green light.

So 3rd squad had been saved by the skin on their teeth, and was now down to 6 men, minus Private Ramsay and Finns.

A SCV manoeuvred itself in front of John, and dropped a huge metal crate at his feet.

"I carried this shit load of 8mms across the battlefield for you bastards, so you'd better shoot straight." The Private in the SCV chimed in.

As the ground shook from the deployed siege tank's first volley, Lance Corporal Benayoun opened the crate and helped himself to the magazines. The rest of the squad followed suit, grabbing more than they could use. Everyone remembered clearly the dreadful feeling of running dry right in the middle of a fight. Nobody wanted to experience that feeling again.

John picked up his rifle and slammed a fresh magazine in. The day had just begun. 


	4. Chapter 4

**0905hrs Planet Surface, unspecified planet**

Corporal John Hide stood atop the hill and watched as the medics attended to the wounded. 30 minutes ago, 6 Battlecruisers had descended through orbit and laid waste to the attacking Zerg. That was the signal to counterattack and Omega Base's defenders had responded, pouring out of the trenches and bunkers into no-man's land. The fighting had been short and brutal, and the Zerg had been pushed back beyond the hills. The 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion, which had numbered 600 at the start of the operation, now had 433 men.

"Hey Hidey, drink?"

John turned to see Lance Corporal Benayoun offering him his water bottle. Benayoun had his visor up and his rifle was slung casually over his shoulders.

"Thanks Ben." John murmured as he took a deep drag.

"What's gonna happen now? They pulling us off the line or what." Benayoun's thin face looked haggard and worn.

"I don't know. And you should know better than to ask." John said.

As the 2 marines watched the advancing columns of infantry and vehicles, a Vulture scout bike pulled up next to them. The chevrons on the rider showed that he was a Corporal.  
"How'd mates, I'm looking for the commanding officer of the 3rd Korhal Infantry Battalion. Any idea where I can find him?" The vulture rider said

"Well you can try the command centre over there, that's Colonel Rikkard you'll be wanting to find." John replied.

SCVs were constructing a forward base on the hill for the 3rd Korhal Infantry, and were about done with the work.

"Thanks brother. Hey could you do me a favour? I need to be in 6 places at once so I'm in a pretty big rush. Could you just pass this piece of paper up the chain of command? It's today's Routine Order man, nothing classified or anything."

Before John could say anything, the rider had pushed the paper into John's hand and was speeding off.  
"Damn bike jockeys."John mumbled.

He took a look at the paper.

...Admiral Recce offers his thanks to every Dominion soldier for fighting bravely in today's battle; he wishes he could be with you to join in the celebrations, which he has no doubt will be befitting this great victory...  
...The following soldiers have been promoted. The Commander congratulates them on their promotion...

...  
Corporal John Hide, promoted to Sergeant

John passed the paper to Benayoun and started to walk towards the base,

"Pass it to Lieutenant Butterfield when you're done reading."

He heard a curse from the Lance Corporal but ignored it. John needed some food. The after effects of the Stim Packs were starting and John could feel the first of the headaches that would soon become unbearable if he did not get some food and sleep fast. For a second, he had been proud of his promotion, but the happiness had died quickly. It really did not mean anything to him. The pay was better, but the marines never got to spend it anyway.

Grabbing a Ready-To-Eat meal from the distribution table, John settled down next to a completed Supply Depot and started to eat. The dehydrated food had a strong metallic taste to it, but would give him the strength he needed. It was rumoured that the food was lightly drugged with suppressants to keep the marines under control.

"Hide, you feeling ok?" 1st Sergeant Durling said as he settled down next to John, a huge cigar hanging from his lips.

"Not bad Sarge, but I gotta get me some sleep after this grub. The Stim Packs are working up"

"You just take a good rest. I'll call you if I need you." Durling's rough voice said as he stood up to walk away.

"Oh one more thing Hide, you fought damn well today. I'm glad about your promotion. We'll celebrate when we get back to the Battlecruiser."

John grunted his acknowledgement and threw the empty lunch box aside. News spread fast when you had 400 men with nothing to do. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, knowing that the nightmares would come and he would wake up clawing the air and gasping for breath. But that was later. Now he had to rest.

1432hrs Planet Surface, unspecified planet

John's eyes snapped open to see PVT Lindon's face inches away from his.

"What the hell is it that you want, Private?" John growled angrily

"Sorry to disturb you Sergeant," Lard said with a cheeky smile, putting emphasise on the word Sergeant, "But the Lieutenant wants to see you at the barracks ASAP."

John pushed himself up and stretched his stiff muscles, his power armour responding immediately to the commands. He half jogged to the Barracks and saw Lieutenant Butterfield standing at the entrance with 1st Sergeant Durling and Sergeant Gorst. The Lieutenant was out of his CMC 400 armour, and was wearing his combat slacks.

"Sir, you asked for me?"

"Ah Sergeant Hide. Good. " The Lieutenant scratched his head before continuing,

"The CO wants a town 4 miles from here searched. Intelligence reports that there may be some Zerg forces still left in or around the town, but that is highly unlikely given the speed of their retreat just now."

The Lieutenant scratched his head again before continuing,

"In any case, platoon 3 will move to the town and give it a once through. Drop ships will pick you boys up once you've completed the search, and will extract you directly from the town to a troop ship in orbit. What's the current platoon strength, 1st Sergeant?"

"Total strength 36, 11 Killed in Action, present strength 25, SIR!"

"Thank you Durling. The 1st Sergeant will lead the platoon on this mission. There will be no replacements added to the ranks and as it is, I expect you boys to be back on the troop ship within the hour, any questions?" Lieutenant Butterfield asked.

"No Sir." The 3 NCOs said in unison, before saluting.

"Alright, then let's get a move on." The Lieutenant said while returning the salute. Before the Sergeants could drop their salute, the Lieutenant was already turning to return into the barracks.

The 3 men waited until the Lieutenant was gone, before talking.

"Slimy bastard. Them officers are all the same, trying to get out of everything they can." Sergeant Gorst said angrily, "Leave the shit to the NCOs and men. I bet the Lieutenant's having a cold beer right now."

1st Sergeant Durling sighed. "Come on guys, less bitching more action. There's a drop ship waiting for us in that town that'll bring us to a place with hot showers, warm beds and proper food."

Durling looked at where the platoon was sitting. They were relaxed, joking and winding each other up. He continued,

"Get your squads assembled and ready to move in 1 minute. Gorst, your squad will take point. Hide, you and your boys will cover our rear."

The Sergeants gave their acknowledgements and hurried off to gather their squads.

5 minutes later, 3rd platoon was running full speed across the flat terrain, their power armours propelling each foot forward with superhuman strength. The town appeared as a blip on the HUDs, and grew nearer with each passing minute.

Suddenly, the point man raised his hands to stop the men behind him. The platoon had switched their transmission devices to a low frequency channel, as a precaution against the acute Zerg senses. Their objective loomed ahead, looking empty and foreboding.

The town looked like an old mining outpost. The buildings were constructed from bricks or clay, and there was a main road running through it. On the left and right side of the town were large fields of golden plants which resembled corn.

The 1st Sergeant signalled for the NCOs to gather and John jogged up to him.

"Right. Let's get this done fast. Hide, take 3rd squad down the middle of the street, spread out and search the houses. Gorst, you'll move with 2nd squad down the left side of the town. I'll take 1st squad and move in from the right."

The 2 Sergeants winked their acknowledgement lights.

Nodding at both Sergeants, Durling waved his hands in a rapid forward motion.

John turned to his own squad, who were waiting for him expectantly.

"3rd Squad, we're gonna move down the middle of the street in tactical column. Brevet, you take point."  
John received a green wink acknowledgement.

"Benayoun and Pollack, you'll watch our rear. The Zerg love to burrow and ambush so be on your toes, I don't want a new asshole ripped in me." Benayoun could not help himself from sniggering at that.  
"Minado and Lard, you're on me. Our jobs will be to search the houses for infestation. Everybody know their jobs?" John said

He counted 5 green lights. Good. Brevet received a nod from John and started to move slowly, scanning the horizon with his eyes and rifle.

Taking his first step into the town, John could not help but feel melancholic. He could almost see and hear the settlers going about their daily business, while the children played in front of the porches.  
The first house the squad came to was a garage like structure on the right of the street, and John signalled for Lindon to check it out. With Minado and John covering the entrance, Lindon gave the door a swift kick, smashing the wood into tiny splinters. He stepped into the house, followed closely by Minado, while John watched the outside. 10 seconds later, both marines stepped out and shook their heads. This house was clear.

The squad proceeded down the street, checking each house thoroughly. All clear. John started to fantasise about a hot bath and ice cold beer.

Suddenly a scream shattered the silence over the intercom. The marines hurriedly moved to the centre of the street to form a defensive perimeter. More screams and shouts of fear, and then a huge explosion on the far right of the town.

"We're under attack! We're under attack!" A voice yelled.

1st Sergeant Durling's voice could be heard next, "Pull back! Everybody pull back! Move into the town!"  
The ground beneath 3rd squad gave way suddenly, causing the soldiers to fall. A monstrosity leapt out of the hole, gurgling angrily from its punctured throat. John stared at the unholy apprehension and felt the familiar primal instinct grip him. This time John could not conquer the fear, and he stumbled backwards, unable to do anything but gasp.

The creature that had extradited itself from the ground wore a barely recognisable miner's outfit. Where a cap should have been on the miner's head, was instead a huge throbbing tumour. The face, or what had been a face, was now a bloated ulcer covered by bloody veins.

The monster let out a piercing scream and grabbed hold of the marine nearest to him. A blinding flash and shockwave pushed John to the ground and he closed his eyes. When he opened it again, both the marine and his assailant were gone. In their place were a small crater and nothing else. A movement caught John's eyes and he turned his head. From both sides of the streets, scores of similar creatures were running towards 3rd squad's position, their piercing screams and horrid visages getting closer every second.

John levelled his rifle. Taking aim, he fired in short 2 second bursts, just like he was taught to do in boot camp. The screams of agony over the transmission channels sounded garbled and messy. As the monsters got closer, John knew it was over. His luck had run out.

All the nightmares that replayed themselves every night, the pain and suffering that had been his life for 2 years, they would all disappear. John smiled, and eased his finger off the trigger.

 **2 months later** **  
** **1235hrs** **  
** **Korhal Base HQ**

"Hey Hiller, join us for lunch? We're leaving now."

Private Tannoy Hiller, Orderly Clerk, Terran Dominion HQ, looked away from his computer screen in irritation.

"Yea yea, I'll see you guys in the cafeteria, just gotta get this last bit of stuff done."

He drained the remaining coffee from his mug and turned his attention back to the computer terminal. The information he had requested popped out on the screen at that instance.  
12000 names from across the Dominion were reflected on a long list. These 12000 names would make up the first batch of soldiers to be indoctrinated into the Reaper Project, a new experimental branch of the Dominion Infantry.

Hanks selected the first name on the list, a Sergeant John Raymond Hide, out of curiosity. The file loaded immediately to show the mug shot of a man of about 30, black hair, strong chin, with blue dour eyes. Above the portrait were the words in bold; MISSING IN ACTION.

"Damn it!" Hanks cursed.

He had not counted on the fact that the name list he had retrieved from the database could have been outdated. Now he would have to filter out the soldiers that were in reality unavailable for selection for whatever reasons. A minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

No matter. He would go for lunch first, this could wait.

As Hanks walked out of the office, he briefly wondered who this Sergeant Hide was. Most probably another coward who had run from combat, could not be found, and was thus listed as missing. What the hell, Hanks thought as the heavy metal door closed behind him; lunch was meat pasta, his favourite.


End file.
